By 2050 Bhutan could develop another 18 hydropower projects harnessing 6,130 MW (6.13 GW) of electricity. According to the Power System Master Plan 2040, the total construction cost for these sites is around Nu 608bn.
The Economic Affairs Minister presented the updated Power System Master Plan 2040 to National Assembly today.
While presenting the report, Economic Affairs Minister said the Power System Master Plan 2004 estimated hydropower potential as 23.7 Giga Watt and only about 10 per cent of the capacity has been developed so far.
Power System Master Plan 2040 has re-assessed the hydropower potentials and came up with feasible projects ensuring environmental sustainability and economic development.
“They have first identified 155 potential sites and they can produce 66.9 GW of electricity. From which they have identified 69 sites. And after the screening, they reached to 18 top ranking projects. They have screened based on technical, economic, social and environmental development,” said Loknath Sharma, the Economic Affairs Minister.
Power System Master Plan 2040 was formulated with the assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2017.
The master plan will serve as a road map to develop Hydropower in Bhutan.
Along with the plan, the Minister also informed the House about resuming Kholongchhu Project.
“Kholongchhu Hydro project has started 3 years back and no much work has been done so far. We have discussed it and has resolved most of the issues. We are now negotiating on one small issue and we are expecting to sign the agreement on it next month. In a few days, we will start floating tender for bigger works,” Lyonpo added.
Meanwhile, the Department of Hydropower and Power System has completed the Detailed Project Report on Sunkosh Hydropower Project and other five projects which are due in 2035.
Sangay Chezom
